When Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there were three Soviet military districts in its territory. These were the
Kyiv Military District, the
Odesa Military District, and the
Carpathian Military District. In January 1998, the Southern Operational Command was created from the Odesa MD and the eastern part of the Kyiv MD. In 2005, the Southern Operational Association was created from the Southern Operational Command. In October 2013,
Operational Command South was created from the Southern Operational Association. Units under the operational control of OC East were involved in the
War in Donbas. Since the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, units of OC East have been involved in heavy fighting with Russian forces during the
battle of Donbas. == Organization ==